5 rights of working animals in India

IN an earlier blog on workers’ rights, we looked back into history to find out how our present-day workers’ laws came about, such as the need for 8-hour workdays and weekends off for rest and recuperation. Just as we work, people employ equine animals such as horses, mules, ponies and donkeys to perform certain duties. These duties include carrying people or goods and pulling vehicles such as carriages. An animal that is used for work is known by many names – working animals, draught animals or pack animals. In India, these animals are protected by the Prevention of Cruelty to Draught and Pack Animal Rules 1965. 

These laws protect working animals from carrying excessive loads or working in high afternoon temperatures. But laws are only effective if they are enforced and more often than not, the suffering of working animals is ignored. Equine animals, i.e. animals belonging to the family of horses, are overworked at popular destinations such as beaches, hill stations and tourist spots. To prevent these working animals from being forced to death, organizations like People For Animals Uttarakhand rescue and care for them in their animal shelter.

But let’s go back to the laws. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 clearly defines what constitutes animal cruelty and the punishments for harming or torturing a working animal or otherwise. The act established the Animal Welfare Board of India to promote animal welfare, and subsequent laws have been added for specific purposes. One of these laws is the Prevention of Cruelty to Draught and Pack Animal Rules, 1965. 

If there are animals who are unable to work due to age, injuries or illness, they must not be forced to, according to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960. Further injuries must not be inflicted through the use of beatings, starvation, exhaustion or the use of objects such as spikes to make the animal work. These methods cause fatal injuries and conditions that often lead to the death of the animal.

Here are 5 specific rights that protect working animals:  

Weight limits on animals’ backs

Equine animals are employed to carry goods on their backs. But the laws have laid down weight limits on how much an animal can carry. Mules can carry no more than 200 kgs, ponies no more than 70 kgs and donkeys no more than 50 kgs. But as Gauri Maulekhi, the founder of PFA, explains in this video, animals are not only forced to carry more than they can, but are beaten, kicked and tortured when they collapse due to excessive weight and exhaustion. 

Weight limits on animal-drawn vehicles 

Horses and mules should not pull two-wheeled vehicles (including cargo) weighing more than 750 kgs. For ponies, who are smaller than horses, it is no more than 600 kgs. This weight limit is less if the two-wheeled vehicles are not fitted with air-inflated tires or if the route includes an ascent of more than one kilometer. For animals pulling a four-wheeled vehicle, the weight limit is doubled.  

No more than 9 hours a day

If an animal is engaged in work such as carrying goods, pulling vehicles or being made to give people rides on their backs, their work should not be for more than 9 hours a day. The animal must also not be worked for more than 5 consecutive hours without a break. But given that this is unsupervised and the amount of time for the break is not specified, these laws are not followed. Animals are known to work for the entire day and end up getting injuries, pus and maggot-infested wounds and die alone of disease including cardiac arrest, as Gauri painfully describes in this video.  

No hotter than 37°C

In places where the temperature is higher than 37°C between the hours of 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm, the animal must not work, according to the Prevention of Cruelty to Draught and Pack Animal Rules, 1965. 

No more than 4 people on animal-drawn vehicles 

Horse-drawn carriages are popular among visitors but the animals pulling them are constantly whipped and pushed to carry more than they physically can. No more than four people can ride in an animal-drawn vehicle (excluding the driver and children under 6 years). Furthermore, when the animal is not pulling the vehicle, their harnesses must be removed.

But as it happens across the country, these laws are often overlooked or entirely disregarded. People For Animals Uttarakhand rescues these overworked animals from abuse and gives them a safe home in their equine sanctuary, called the Happy Home Sanctuary. 

What is the Happy Home Sanctuary?

The Happy Home Sanctuary is a 2.8-acre animal shelter that provides a safe environment for rescued animals to roam free. Most of the animals arrive in a weakened, deformed or emaciated condition after years of neglect and physical torture. Once at the sanctuary, they have regular meals consisting of a healthy mixed feed concentrate with grams and bran, and the minerals and vitamins they need. There are designated enclosures for equines and other animals that include cats, hens, goats and sheep to ensure all the animals are safe. Importantly, the sanctuary is a “no-tie” environment, which means the animals are not tied up within their enclosures and can live without painful restraints such as chains and ropes. Each animal at the sanctuary is cared for and treated with love and affection for the rest of their lives. 

People For Animals Uttarakhand needs your support to rescue more animals from abuse and death due to overwork and exhaustion. Donate now to the fundraiser on Give and help Gauri reach her goal of rescuing 50,000 animals from torture. 

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